Despite the impending end of contracts with both CSEA and PEF, Cuomo demanded the Unions make generalized sacrifices of $450 million or he would lay off 9800 State Employees. Even though a clear deadline is known and recognised by all parties concerned, Cuomo drags his feet in appointing his representatives to negotiate with the Unions. Before doing so, he states that unless an agreement is reached by April 1st, he will begin plans to layoff workers. Then, he gives the Unions what amounts to a couple of weeks to settle on a contract. If this is not setting up an impossible situation, I do not know what is. Getting an entire Union to negotiate and then vote on a contract can not be done in a couple of weeks. While the Unions had their negotiating teams in place for months, I suspect Cuomo deliberately sat on his ass to up pressure on the Unions and to create a crisis situation for the contract negotiations.

Cuomo put forward a Republican pro-business budget. Could this be because he knew that the Assembly, which is Democratically controlled, would not like the poison he's trying to serve? He has already made statements along the lines of "it's my way or the highway" and has gone so far as to state he's going to force his budget on to the State through budget extender bills.

While Paterson's dealings with the Unions were illegal. He did utilize the budget extender bills to their fullest extent in other areas. In effect, he forced the Legislature to pass his buget in bits and pieces by including them in the bills to keep the State running. Cuomo has already alluded that he will use the same tactic. Like the Republicans and Governor Walker in Wisconsin, Andrew Cuomo will force his agenda on to New York though a tactical and bureaucratic maneuver -- all the while ignoring things that will actually close the budget gap. Things like stopping the insulting tax cut for the wealthiest 3% in the State and a securities spectulation tax.

So there it is. Cuomo's deadline is April 1st and he's done everything he can do to delay any sort of an agreement from occurring before then. All with the intention of forcing his Big Business-approved anti-union agenda on to the people of New York. I have no doubt this was his intention from the beginning. This man is not an honest broker. He is a schemer, deceitful, and treacherous and can not be trusted by anyone who values the morals and ethics organized labor has brought to this country.

Democracy? Not under Cuomo. Hopefully, he will never see a second term.